he first, wooden manor house in Bolestraszyce was built at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries by Stefan Świętopełkof Lis coat of arms (d. 1503). It was situated on the edge of an escarpment rising over surrounding fields and fortified with earth ramparts and a palisade. This building is believed to have been destroyed during the Tatar invasion in 1502, and then, in its place, the descendants of the aforementioned Świętopełk, who were then already called Bolestraszyccy, erected a brick fortalice.
CHAPEL, SOUTH-EAST ELEVATION WITH SHOOTING HOLES
A
t the beginning of the 17th century, Samuel Świętopełk Bolestraszycki (d. 1657), secretary to the Polish king
Sigismund III Vasa and an ardent follower of the Protestant religion, became co-owner of the village. The oldest known historical account of Bolestraszyce comes from his time, reporting some sort of conflict between the brothers that resulted in an armed raid on the fortalice. We don't know exactly what this fortification looked like, but it could have been quite a large stronghold, equipped with three or four towers.
GROUND FORT OF THE PRZEMYŚL FORTRESS LOCATED IN THE MANOR PARK, WITH A CHAPEL AND A GATE BUILDING
Samuel Bolestraszycki sponsored the publication of an anti-papal treatise written by
Peter du Moulin entitled Heraclitus, or, Mans looking-glass and survey of life. His anti-church activities were met with the fury of Bishop
Achacy Grochowski, who brought him to court, ending with Samuel being sentenced to six months' imprisonment in the Przemyśl castle and a hefty fine. In addition, the aforementioned publication was to be burnt by the executioner in the Lublin market square. In announcing the sentence, the court threatened that any plebeian caught reading Heraclitus would receive the death penalty, while a nobleman would be subject to infamy.
Bolestraszycki, however, never went to prison. Soon after the sentence was announced, he escaped abroad, and later hid in estates belonging to representatives of the rich and influential Leszczyński and Radziwiłł families, who officially came to his defence. The support they manifested for him proved effective, as in 1647 King
Władysław IV gave Samuel a safe conduct, and two years later the Sejm restored him to honour.
It is worth mentioning that Samuel Bolestraszycki was not only a victim but also a hangman. He was twice sentenced to infamy for murder of an usher and abuse of his peasant subjects.
RENAISSANCE FRESCOES IN THE CHAPEL INTERIORS
I
n 1652 Zofia Bolestraszycka gave the village as a dowry to Krzysztof Tomasz Drohojowski of
Korczak coat of arms (d. 1676). By this time the fortalice presumably no longer served as the family seat and was partly demolished and partly turned into a granary, which over time fell into ruins. From then on, the estate belonged successively to the Morski, Ostrowski, Michałowski, Łempicki and Zajączkowski families (until 1944). Still at the beginning of the 19th century, Józefa Zofia Morska (d. 1813) or her husband
Antoni Jan Ostrowski of
Rawicz coat of arms (d. 1845) dismantled remains of the castle and its ramparts and levelled surrounding moats.
GROUND FORTIFICATIONS FROM THE MID 19H CENTURY WITH A CHAPEL AND A GATE BUILDING (ACCORDING TO P. IDZIKOWSKI)
D
uring the Crimean War, the Austrians built field fortifications nearby, and adapted relics of the castle for defence purposes, as evidenced by preserved plans of the fort and the shooting holes made in its walls. On the foundations of one of the former castle towers, in the 1870s Julia Michałowska, née Ostrowska (d. 1875), built a Roman Catholic chapel known as the church. At the beginning of the 21st century, during a major renovation of the building, workers discovered fragments of Renaissance frescoes with floral motifs, an entrance to the underground and the aforementioned shooting holes.
SHOOTING HOLES IN THE SOUTH-EAST ELEVATION
Between 1846 and 1855 Bolestraszyce belonged to the painter
Piotr Michałowski, one of the most outstanding Polish representatives of genre and battle painting, who particularly liked the motif of horse. Michałowski created more than 1,000 works characterised by great expression, excellent texture and colours. His paintings were admired by
Pablo Picasso himself when he visited the National Museum during his stay in Warsaw (1948).
he chapel is a remnant of the fortification tower from the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. Fragments of polychrome and seven shooting holes have survived in its walls, which, according to some historians, originated in the 19th century during construction of the Przemyśl Fortress, while according to the others, are of 18th-century provenance. In addition to the Renaissance frescoes, the interior of this small temple is decorated with a blue vault designed by the founder of this building, Julia Michałowska. There are tunnels under the chapel, so far only partially explored (2019).
he chapel is located on a high escarpment on the grounds of the arboretum, which has evolved from a former manor garden. It now covers an area of 29 hectares, with 4,000 species of plants, including rare trees, aquatic and marsh species, heather, and greenhouse flowers. In its central part stands the manor house - now the Museum of Nature, where the painter Piotr Michałowski lived and worked in the mid-19th century. On the outskirts of the garden, meanwhile, is Fort San Rideau - one of defensive points of the former Przemyśl Fortress. The Museum on the Air exhibits outdoor sculptures as well as trunks and sections of various tree species.
THE CLASSICIST MANSION HOUSES A SMALL MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY
ON ONE OF THE PARK ALLEYS
To get to the vicinity of the chapel, one must purchase an entrance ticket to the arboretum (which is actually a much bigger attraction than the chapel).
It is advisable to reserve at least 3 hours for a visit to the arboretum.
Dogs and other animals are not allowed.
Part of the arboretum is the Sensory Garden for children and people with disabilities. It is a place adapted for free and independent movement by wheelchair users, people with limited mobility, the elderly and other people with various sight impairments.
IN BOLESTRASZYCE ARBORETUM
IN THE LOCAL PONDS YOU CAN MEET TURTLES
GETTING THERE
T
he arboretum is located about 9 km northeast of Przemyśl, behind the village of Bolestraszyce, by a little frequented local road.
There is a large, free parking lot at the main entrance.
You can bring a bicycle into the arboretum, but you are not allowed to ride it.
Castles nearby:
Przemyśl - Royal castle from the 14th-16th centuries, 9 km
Sośnica - Relics of a Renaissance castle from the 16th century, 12 km
Krasiczyn - Renaissance aristocratic castle from the 16th-17th centuries, 18 km
Fredropol Kormanice - ruins of a Renaissance castle from the 16th century, 22 km
Węgierka - ruins of a bastion castle from the 15th century, 30 km
Dubiecko - Renaissance castle from the 16th century, now a palace, 40 km
